


The Meaning of Flowers

by AbschaumNo1



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, also art, lots of flower meanings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-16
Updated: 2013-11-16
Packaged: 2018-01-01 17:30:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1046582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbschaumNo1/pseuds/AbschaumNo1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They met in a flower shop when Bossuet managed once again to get himself hospitalised.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Meaning of Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Another piece for R shipping week!  
> This one is based on a prompt i got from [Marsha](http://sirericcartman.tumblr.com): "Someone has to go to the hospital and Grantaire buys flowers, in the shop he meets Combeferre, who works there."

They met when Bossuet managed once again to get himself hospitalised. Grantaire was a good friend and so he decided to pay him a visit after a day of classes and because he was an even better friend he decided to bring him some flowers. It was simple coincidence that this particular flower shop had been on the way to the hospital.

It was a small shop, so tiny that it was hard to move amongst all the flowers, and Grantaire had to admit that it was very nice. The shop attendant looked slightly out of place but at the same time like he was at home behind his counter. He put down the book he had been reading when Grantaire entered and pushed his glasses up his nose.

“How can I help you?” he asked, a smile on his face.

“You wouldn't happen to have peonies, yarrow and stephanotis, would you?”

The other man raised an eyebrow. “That's specific.” But he began to look through the buckets of flowers and to arrange them into a decent looking bouquet. “So whom are you wishing a good recovery?”

Grantaire grinned. “So you know the symbolism. I bet it helps with your job, doesn't it?”

“I just picked it up somehow, a friend of mine is really interested in it, but I guess it does help with the job,” he replied shrugging.

“Intriguing.” Grantaire still grinned as he paid and took the bouquet. He paused at the door. “They are for a friend by the way. Guy managed to get himself into hospital again.” And with that he left the shop, the bell above the door jingling with his exit.

* * *

 

Grantaire didn't return to the shop until weeks later when he realised that he was invited to a birthday party that same evening but didn't have a present. He was pretty sure that remembering the flower shop had saved his ass. He walked in, bundled up in his coat and his favourite scarf and a smile on his face as he recognised the same guy as last time behind the counter.

“You wouldn't happen to have larkspur, jasmine and iris, would you?”

“Trying to impress someone?” the guy asked as he put his book down and got up.

“Not really, I just forgot to get her a present and those seemed pretty fitting.”

“So is she some kind of muse for you or do you hope she finds inspiration?”

“Curious aren't we?” Grantaire laughed. “She works as a model for me sometimes, so you could say she gives me inspiration.”

“I just find it interesting how you use the symbolism in flowers.” He shrugged as he wrapped the bouquet in some paper.

Before Grantaire had reached the door he said, “I'm Combeferre by the way.” Grantaire paused and looked at him for a split second before he grinned.

“I'm Grantaire.”

* * *

 

The flowers had been a good idea, Floréal had enjoyed them and Grantaire could have a celebratory drink on himself. He got blazingly drunk that evening, hooked up with one of the models at the party and all in all had a pleasant night.

The flower shop didn't cross his mind until he began planning an exhibition he had coming up a few months later and he found himself in need of flowers. He dragged on his cigarette and looked down at the list he had written, maybe it was time to go and see Combeferre again.

He went round the shop a few times in the course of the weeks he needed to get the works done he had wanted to do for the exhibit, and in the course of these weeks they had begun to talk. Inspired by how Combeferre asked him questions about what he used the flowers for he began asking questions about the other man.

He found out that the job at the flower shop was only his part-time occupation, that he actually studied to become teacher, that he also ran a student activism group with his best friend. The books Combeferre read ranged from philosophy to politics to fantasy novels, and his interests were just as widespread.

Even when he didn't need to go to the flower shop anymore Grantaire found himself returning just to talk to Combeferre. He always had flowers in his flat now, because he always felt like he needed an alibi to intrude on Combeferre's time,. The flowers he bought usually had some generic, easily explicable meaning, he bought pink roses on the day Combeferre referred to Grantaire as a friend in a phone call. Combeferre only smiled.

It came as a bit of a surprise when Combeferre asked Grantaire for his phone number, but he gave it to him willingly enough, a short note on a page he ripped out of his notebook, right below a sketch of a cup of coffee he had done out of boredom while sitting in a café. It was even more of a surprise when Combeferre asked him to go and have coffee with him.

Grantaire had hoped that it was meant to be a date, but he wasn't sure of it until Combeferre made his intentions clear.

“You know,” he said to Grantaire, “I haven't done this in a while, and I hope I'm not making a complete ass of myself when I say I hope we can go somewhere from here.”

“You don't. Make an ass of yourself, I mean. I hope that, too,” Grantaire replied, a smile on his face, while he was pretty sure that his stomach was attempting a flip. The smile Combeferre gave him in return lit the man's face up and Grantaire couldn't help but think that it was something he would like to see more often, and that he would like to be the reason for it.

The next time he visited Combeferre at the shop he bought gardenias.

* * *

 

They went on more dates, but then Grantaire got reclusive for days and Combeferre was barely able to reach him via text. He knew the other man had his exhibition coming up very soon, but for a moment he wondered if it was really only that. However, his doubts ended when Grantaire invited him to the opening of the showing.

Grantaire wouldn't let him look around on his own, as soon as he could he showed him around, obviously nervous about something that he built up to. Before they entered the last room Grantaire stopped and swallowed.

“I made this in a bit of a rush, but I really wanted to have it in this,” he said before he pulled Combeferre along with him into the room.

There was only one painting there, an immense canvas that showed a familiar view. It took Combeferre a moment to recognise the inside of the flower shop. There was a man sitting behind the counter, glasses perched on his nose, a book in his hands, and a shadowy figure in the foreground of the painting indicated another person. Most of the flowers were held in pastel colours, except a bunch that the figure in the foreground held. Combeferre looked at them, Grantaire fidgeting next to him.

“It's probably a bit too much,” Grantaire began, but then Combeferre turned to him and put a finger to his lips to shut him up.

“It's amazing,” he said, “And if that's how you feel it's definitely not too much.”

Grantaire looked up at him, a smile on his lips. “So you...”

“Yes,” Combeferre replied nodding.

“Can I...?”

And instead of a reply Combeferre put a hand on his neck and pulled him closer to kiss him for the very first time.

(It was only by chance that Joly happened to stand by the door, but he used it and took a quick snapshot with his phone, just the two of them, kissing each other in front of the painting, the red tulips on it standing clearly out just behind their embracing figures. Later Grantaire would make a painting out of it, and much later in their lives it would have a place of honour together with the one of the flower shop and Grantaire's take on their wedding photo.)

**Author's Note:**

> I worked with [this](http://aboutflowers.com/flower-a-plant-information-and-photos/meanings-of-flowers.html) list for the meanings of the flowers and they mean the following:
> 
> The ones for Bossuet: Healing (Peony), good health (Yarrow), good luck (Stephanotis)  
> The ones for Floréal: Beautiful spirit (Larkspur), grace and elegance (Jasmine), inspiration (Iris) (and according to the page iris is also the flower for February)  
> The day when Combeferre refers to R as friend: Friendship (Pink roses)  
> After their first date: Joy (Gardenia)  
> The ones on the painting: Declaration of love (Red tulips)
> 
> You can also come and say 'hi' on [tumblr](http://abschaumno1.tumblr.com).


End file.
